Values are what define an individual; however, this generation has not been very particular with that and sometimes throwing everything else out to the window. One of the many values which have gone out of the window is their ability to show gratitude. This might come as shock to some because this is one of those practices commonly done in the previous generation. It is just one of the times that show proof in the way time changes man.

However, there might be hope in the way most of the children are being trained in a young age to constantly send out thank you cards every now and then. It is said that training a child early helps them develop the habit, and hopefully, this sticks to them until they grow up.

Of course, making it stick to them is the responsibility of the parents and how they infused it into their teachings because as much as a child want to do it, if their experience connected to such acts is bad, they will forever take it as a negative.

There are many ways in making their experience of writing thank you cards more pleasing. First and foremost, there is the part where you do not make it a bad experience in general. For example, you do not force them to write the cards if they do not feel like it. Of course, you still need to make them write, but instead of forcing them, try explaining it to them. Tell them why they should be writing thank you cards to people who may have shown them kindness, especially those who gave them presents.

If they do not comply with your request after your explanation, the next best thing that you can do is to provide a positive feedback mechanism. This is a strategy commonly used when you want to enforce a particular trait and develop it into a habit. This was developed in the realm of psychology and it has shown positive results over the years. Tell them that if they write the necessary thank you cards you will provide them with something that they like. It may be an act of bribery, but later, the rewards can slowly be removed and as a result, you are able to develop a habit in them.

Another option is to make it an overall enjoyable experience. For example, you let them write on thank you cards with their favorite cartoon character on it. Children are very interested in doing activities as long as they enjoy the materials that they are using. In that aspect, it might be smart if you allow your children to pick which cards in the store they would like to write on. Of course, you need to tell them how much you are going to buy so that they do not go over the limit regarding the number of cards that they are going to pick from the shelves.

There are many positive ways of grinding the habit of showing gratitude into a child, and if done correctly, you may help in revitalizing the habit of writing thank you cards. It may take a lot of time when the person is still a child, but it is satisfying once it pays off.

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